Tues., Sept. 15: Medeski, Martin and Wood mix it up

Whether you’re a member of a band or the audience, everyone’s familiar with this routine: write songs, record them, tour in support, repeat. But long-running jazz-funk-jam trio Medeski, Martin and Wood decided they’d had enough of that formula, so they flipped the script for their three-album Radiolarian series, working up material on the road, then returning home to put the grooves to tape.

They’ve finished the cycle with last month’s release of Volume 3, so it’s anyone’s guess which jams they’ll be whipping out when they stop at the Cannery Ballroom (1 Cannery Row, 251-3020) on Tues., Sept. 15.